It has long been the practice with those directly interested in undertaking a physical fitness or body building program to utilize the standard weight lifting devices, such as the common barbell or dumbbell training sets, for the purpose of systematically performing various isotonic exercises which provide for a toning of selective muscles throughout the body. That such exercises are desirable for individuals of all backgrounds and status is readily apparent from the current interest and enthusiasm that has been generated by both the medical profession and physical fitness advocates who urgently recommend that every member of the general public discipline themselves to a form of systematic and individually oriented physical fitness program.
In performing body firming exercises, it is necessary, to achieve maxium effect, that the selective skeletal muscle or muscles toward which the physical exertion is directed not only be tightened and hardened during the exercise, but should likewise concurrently be alternately contracted and expanded to achieve maximum toning and development. Muscle construction is basically a formation of tissue which is fibrous in content, and to simply tighten this fibrous tissue in performance of an exercise without stretching or contracting the muscle fails to provide its full development. For this reasons, the so-called isometric exercises which are designed to acquire body toning by stationarily pitting ones muscular strength against an immovable object fails to achieve maximum effect. Also, other body exercises performed during calisthenics do provide selective body movement and accompanying expansion and contraction of muscle tissue, but fail to acquire maximum efficiency in muscle development because such exercises do not incorporate the use of supplemental weights to concurrently force exertion of the muscle to its maximum endurance. The most effective form of body building exercises combine selective body movements directed towards one or more muscles while incorporating the use of extrinsic weights to force the muscle to function under pressure. For this reason, exercises performed while using the common weight lifting devices are most effective for achieving body development to its fullest and resulting physical fitness.
Various problems are readily manifested to those exercising with the common form of weight lifting devices that are presently available upon the market. To undertake a complete program of physical fitness with the use of a standard set of weights ordinarily requires the acquisition of hundreds of pounds of various weighted plates and other accessories at a high initial expense.
The use of the standard weight lifting device is generally accompanied by clangor-like noises which ordinarily prevent their usage in multiple dwellings, or anywhere else where none other than quietude is tolerated. It is also quite difficult to transport the foregoing type weight lifting set since it includes many loose component parts of excessive weight.